Margaret Atwood Poem Analysis

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In reference to the subtlety of language, Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” When Robert Frost said this statement, he was referring to the fact that it is seemingly impossible to carry over from one language into another the special qualities of a poem, such as its meter, syntax, rhythm, sound, connotations, etc. In many of the poems written by the Canadian poet and feminist Margaret Atwood, there are inherent “deeper meanings” that are hidden within the text, open to the reader to interpret as they wish. In fact, it is the poet’s use of literary techniques that create these layers of meanings. The two poems that I choose to analyze from Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II are “Night Poem” and “Postcard.” …show more content…

Having a protective figure look over you and provide you with physical contact when you are scared is most comforting to many people, especially young children. These are some of the ways in which
Margaret Atwood uses literary techniques to present a “deeper meaning” to her poem “Night
Poem.”
The second that I choose to analyze from Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II is
“Postcard.” From a literal standpoint, the poem is about someone’s thoughts relating to a beach- like setting. As the poem progresses, the speaker then describes specific items he/she carries with them when traveling. From a figurative sense, it seems as though “Postcard” is about the differences between actual reality and the images printed on postcards, which is implemented by a variety of literary techniques used by Atwood. She starts the poem with a line that shows up on most postcards (“I’m thinking about you. What else can I say?”), and then proceeds to break apart the concept of an ideal vacation as a misconception. Through her use of vivid imagery that not only appeals to the sense of sight, but also to the sense of smell (“…and the smell of …show more content…

Ultimately, life is much more colorful and complicated than it actually seems. These are some of the ways in which Margaret Atwood uses literary techniques to present a “deeper meaning” to her poem “Postcard.”
In reference to the subtlety of language, Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” When Robert Frost said this statement, he was referring to the fact that it is seemingly impossible to carry over from one language into another the special qualities of a poem, such as its meter, syntax, rhythm, sound, connotations, etc. In many of the poems written by the Canadian poet and feminist Margaret Atwood, there are inherent “deeper meanings” that are hidden within the text, open to the reader to interpret as they wish. In fact, it is the poet’s use of literary techniques that create these layers of meanings. From analyzing two poems from
Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II (“Night Poem” and “Postcard”), the theory presented by
Robert Frost is correct. This is due, in large part, to the fact that every reader has their own interpretation of what poems are actually about. Ultimately, readers must acknowledge the real virtue of the work that they are reading, and interpret the poems as they see

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